


Is it a blind date if you don't know you were set up?

by hkandi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blind Date, Friends meddle, Gen, Humor, M/M, Mixed Messages, They mean well but suck at planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:08:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29411712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hkandi/pseuds/hkandi
Summary: Three times Iruka and Kakashi were sent on blind dates that didn't work out exactly how their friends hoped for, and one time they organized their own date.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Comments: 12
Kudos: 109
Collections: KakaIru Valentine's Week 2021





	Is it a blind date if you don't know you were set up?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "blind dates" for the Kakairu Rocks forum Valentine's event!

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

1

"Iruka?"

Iruka looked up from the menu he was studying and smiled.

"Hello, Kakashi," Iruka greeted the copy nin.

"Your table is right here," the hostess informed Kakashi, gesturing to a table two down from Iruka.

Kakashi nodded and she left, and he turned back to Iruka.

"Fancy seeing you here," Kakashi commented.

"Ah, well," Iruka began. "I'm meeting someone for dinner. You?"

"Same," Kakashi said. "I'd better grab my table before anyone shows up. Have a good night."

Iruka smiled and nodded, and Kakashi headed to his own table.

They each ordered a drink, and sat, waiting for their dinner partners.

And waited.

Kakashi pulled out the latest Icha Icha he was carrying around, and Iruka retrieved part of a newspaper he had put in his vest pocket earlier that day.

And so, they read. And waited.

And waited.

Finally, after waiting for almost forty five minutes, and feeling rather embarrassed that the restaurant staff had inquired twice about if they wanted to order anything, Kakashi approached Iruka. "Still waiting?"

"Afraid so," Iruka sighed. "I'm about ready to give up."

Suddenly, their overly cheerful server appeared. "Would you two like to order?" she asked, hopeful.

Iruka looked at Kakashi, who was standing next to his table.

"Sure?" Iruka asked.

Kakashi shrugged and sat. "Why not," he laughed.

They placed their orders, having picked their dishes when they had both first sat, and discussed the strange events of that night.

"I'm here courtesy of Anko," Iruka admitted. "She decided to set me up on a blind date," he said in a hushed voice.

"Oh? I'm here because of Gai," Kakashi shared. "I lost a challenge and he said I had to have dinner here, on this day and this time, and that 'youthful company would be present for me'."

"That's a strange victory," Iruka laughed. "Sending you to dinner? Do you not eat enough vegetables on your own?" he teased.

"It's possible," Kakashi acknowledged. "Though I feel like he was more focused on my 'empty but not hopeless romantic prospects.' You don't know who you were supposed to meet?"

"Nope, and by the looks of it, they're almost an hour late and probably not showing up."

"Sorry to hear that," Kakashi said, but Iruka shook his head.

"It's fine, at least I wasn't standing somewhere waiting for them this whole time. And, hey, sorry your person didn't show." Iruka frowned. "That's really surprising, now that I think about it. I'm sure that Gai would have picked a responsible person for you."

"Responsible?" Kakashi laughed.

"I mean, someone who would show up when they're supposed to," Iruka clarified. "I can't imagine him picking just anyone for you to have dinner with."

They paused as their food was brought out, the staff taking pity on them being stood up and rushing their orders; the conversation resumed as they ate.

"I suppose so," Kakashi mused, keeping his mask on as he ate, somehow.

"You'd better win the next challenge with him or you'll be repeating this," Iruka laughed.

"Good point," Kakashi sighed. "I'd say I'm surprised Anko set you up with someone flaky, but it is Anko..."

Iruka laughed again. "She means well. Probably," he said, shrugging. "I just hope she'll wait til tomorrow to ask for the details..."

They continued to talk over dinner, discussing Kakashi's training with Naruto now that he was back from training with Jiraiya, as well as the latest antics and gossip of the village.

Paying their separate checks, they walked out of the restaurant together.

"Well, thank you again for rescuing me from that mess," Iruka laughed. 

"And you, sensei," Kakashi said. "Have a good night."

"You too," Iruka said, waving as they headed in separate directions, pleased with the unexpected outcome of the night.

_____

Their friends, however, were less than pleased.

"You ate alone?!" Gai shrieked the next day as he sparred with Kakashi in the morning. "That is most unexpected!"

"Well, not alone-alone," Kakashi said, throwing a sweeping kick at the other man. "Iruka was there."

"What?!"

"He was also waiting for someone," Kakashi said, as they threw and blocked punches. "But his person didn't show, so we ended up eating together after sitting alone for so long."

Gai paused, and Kakashi easily hit his shoulder.

"Gai?" Kakashi asked, stopping as well.

"You were alone? For how long?" Gai asked, shocked.

Kakashi shrugged. "An hour? Maybe more?"

He watched as his friend unexpectedly turned pale.

"I must go!" Gai suddenly yelled, turning and running without another word.

Kakashi watched him go, before shrugging.

"I'd say I'm surprised....but it is Gai..." he mused, pulling out his book and walking away from the training ground.

___

"GAI!" Anko roared. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I did what we agreed upon!" Gai informed her. "I told my rival where to go and when, and that he would be meeting someone!"

"Then why did Iruka tell me he was stood up?" Anko shrieked.

"Kakashi said that they did have dinner, in the end!"

"Iruka said that too," Anko sighed, finally sitting back in her seat. "But they were supposed to eat together, from the start! Not after feeling that they had been stood up!"

They sat in silence for a moment.

"So, what happened?" Gai asked. "They were where they were supposed to be, and my rival was not late, for once!"

Anko frowned as she thought about it. "I guess...the restaurant messed up? They were supposed to seat them together." She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. "You did tell them to sit them together, right?"

"I....think so? I was so happy that we were assisting their romantic endeavors, perhaps I was not as clear with my instructions?" Gai admitted, holding up his hands as Anko scowled at him. "But regardless, they ate dinner together, and that is what we wanted, is it not?"

Anko rolled her eyes. "Yes, but as a date! They think they saved each other's butts and ate as friends, not on a date!" She stood and grabbed Gai's arm. "We need to talk to the others, now!" she yelled, pulling him out of the room.

2

"This is foolproof," Asuma assured the others.

Kurenai nodded. "They're going to be at the same restaurant, at the same time, knowing they're on a date."

"The same restaurant?" Gai asked.

"Well, not the one they were at last time," Genma said. "A different one."

"And they think it's a blind date, again," Anko added.

"Why are we still arranging a blind date?" Gai asked. "They had a wonderful time last time!"

"Because we're not sure they'd meet for an actual date," Anko informed him. "Just in case. Plus, this is more fun for us!"

"So, how do they know to find each other?" Genma asked

"This time they know they're meeting a fellow shinobi," Kurenai told them.

"And that it's a man," Asuma said. "And we told the restaurant exactly what's going on, so they're definitely going to seat them together this time."

"So we just sit back and wait for the magic to happen," Anko sighed. "Finally!"

The group clinked their drinks together, as they were at dinner far from the restaurant they had picked for their friends.

"The hostess was so nice about it!" Kurenai said, smiling as she reflected on it. "So excited!"

"What?" Asuma asked, looking at her. "Hostess?" Kurenai nodded. "I talked to a man, a young guy, said he was going to be the host tonight, and that he'd handle it."

The air changed and grew tense, heavy.

Genma clicked the senbon around his mouth noisily, and Anko pinched the bridge of her nose. Gai looked at the ceiling, a worried look on his face.

"This is...not good," Kurenai sighed. "Not good at all..."

______

Across Konoha, Iruka decided to only wait thirty minutes this time, silently thanking himself that he had, again, brought something discreet to read.

He was also grateful he had only asked for water thus far, as when he told the server he would be leaving without eating, he could slip away quickly.

Iruka was passing the bar area, eyes on the exit, mind thinking about what to actually eat for dinner, when he heard a familiar voice.

"Iruka?"

The teacher paused and turned, smiling when he saw who called his name.

"Kakashi? Hello!"

"Yo," Kakashi replied, from his seat at the bar, an empty high backed chair next to him.

"What are you doing here?" Iruka asked.

"Starting to think Asuma and Gai are in cahoots with eah other," Kakashi sighed, and Iruka looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Asuma asked to set me up, I guess following Gai's fail from the other week."

"Oh," Iruka said, smiling. "That's nice! Actually, Kurenai said she had a friend she wanted me to meet here too," he said, laughing. "But, I waited at our table and it was a no-show. Again," he sighed.

"I feel you," Kakashi said, swirling his glass. "I was told to wait at the bar but no one's showed up. Want to have a drink before you head out?" he asked, since he still had some of his own.

Iruka thought about it and smiled. "Sure, why not?" he said, taking the seat next to Kakashi. "But if your date shows, I'll leave right away."

"Same for yours," Kakashi said and waved the bartender over to order Iruka a drink.

"You know what?" Iruka said, reaching to grab a bar menu. "I'm hungry, and if my date does show up, they're so late anyway, I'll reschedule with them. Want to split some bar food?"

"That sounds good," Kakashi said, leaning near Iruka to look at the menu with him. "My thoughts exactly."

__________

"It was a foolproof plan," Kurenai grumbled the next day. "Or, it was supposed to be!"

"Well, they did have a few drinks together," Asuma said, apologetically. "And that's the goal, right?"

Anko, Kurenai, and Genma glared at him, while Gai looked confused.

"They were together as friends," Anko reminded him. "Friends who were stood up and ran into each other." She covered her face with her hands. "It's almost worse than the other time, at least then they were at tables near each other! How did one think they were meeting at the bar, and the other think they were meeting at a table?"

"I think we need new recruits," Genma said. "And I have an idea..."

3

A week later, Iruka was at his desk in the missions office, keeping it tidy. Well, tidier than usual, not that he had much to do. He straightened his uniform for the third time that hour, eyes darting to the clock.

Not much time left on his shift, he thought to himself, concern beginning to seep in.

"Next, please," he called out to his line, greeting the shinobi who stood up and passed him a scroll.

Two shinobi later, Kakashi was at the front of his line, no one else behind him. It was, after all, getting to be fairly late.

"Evening, sensei," Kakashi greeted him, passing him a scroll.

"Good evening," Iruka said, smiling at him as he unrolled the scroll. "How is the weather today?"

Kakashi looked out the window next to Iruka, then back to Iruka, then between the two several times. "Uh...dark?"

"I see," Iruka said, blankly. "Ah, Naruto," he sighed, beginning to read the report.

"Pardon?" Kakashi asked.

Iruka looked up, surprised and embarassed. "Oh, sorry! I was just grumbling about Naruto. He stopped by my classroom earlier and told me to 'expect a special scroll from a special someone tonight' with a very suspicious wink, followed by him saying 'keep the rest of your night open.' But I'm not really sure what he meant, and I haven't been sure how to prepare for it."

Kakashi shrugged. "My apologies that it's definitely not my scroll," he posed.

Iruka laughed. "Well, it's not as late as you usually turn in, but I'm not sure how special that makes it."

"That's fair," Kakashi sighed. "Sakura pressed me to turn it in when I saw her earlier." He scratched the back of his head. "I guess Tsunade might be on a bit of a rampage and anything like this might set her off?"

Iruka considered it and nodded. "That's definitely possible. Doesn't explain Naruto's behavior, but perhaps it was just Naruto being Naruto," he laughed.

"Now that you mention it," Kakashi said, thinking about it, "he was a bit distracted when Yamato and I were training him earlier. He didn't say anything else to you?"

Iruka shook his head. "No, sorry. Maybe he's expecting a scroll dropped off for him here, or a special mission or something for him, you know how he is."

"I do," Kakashi sighed. "Always popping up demanding to go on this mission or that. Though, I wouldn't put it past him to make this an elaborate scheme to con you into taking him for ramen when you get off work," he laughed.

Iruka fake scowled at the thought. "That's always possible," he admitted. "Maybe I should just run straight home after this..."

"Or leave early?" Kakashi offered. "I could cover for you if I run into him."

Iruka laughed at the thought and thanked the other man, before discussing part of the report he had a question on.

Sakura sighed as she left the missions office, dropping her henge when she was in the hallway. She cracked her knuckles as she frowned, heading to see a particular person.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelped a few minutes later as she glared at him. "What?!"

"Did you tell Iruka-sensei what to say?" she asked.

"I did! I told him to ask about the weather, and what answer to look for! And about the special scroll!"

"And Kakashi-sensei?"

"What?" he asked her.

"Did you tell Kakashi-sensei how to answer about the weather?"

"Me? I thought you were going to!"

"Me?" Sakura yelled. "I was supposed to get him to turn the scroll in so he'd have to see Iruka-sensei! You were supposed to tell him how to describe the weather!"

"I thought you were!" Naruto repeated.

"This is a disaster!" Sakura groaned. "Come on, let's go tell the others about it. You get to break the news to them," she said, pulling Naruto after her.

"Me? Why me?" he whined, following her and dreading the meeting.

4

"This is nice," Iruka sighed. "Us actually planning to meet up, rather than during failed blind dates."

Kakashi gave him an upside down eye smile from where he was sat next to him at Ichiraku's, as they finished their food. "Agreed. This feels more like us, anyway. Not those places our friends kept sending us to."

"Right?" Iruka agreed. "Not our scene. And can you even imagine who they were trying to set us up with, if those are the places the other people like?" He shook his head. "Speaking for myself, I'm glad to have dodged that shuriken."

"Same," Kakashi said, nodding. "I hope they stop, I'm over blind dates."

"Yes!" Iruka laughed, pausing for a moment. "At least they weren't weird blind dates. Like, an actual date where you can't see..."

"Or, a date that tries to blind you," Kakashi mused. 

"Or, blind taste-testing dates, the food," Iruka added.

"I don't even like dates," Kakashi said. "The food," he added.

"Yeah, I'm not crazy about them either," Iruka commented.

"But, date-dates," Kakashi said, "those can be fun."

"With the right people."

"And the right places."

Iruka looked at him. "Like....Ichiraku's."

Kakashi nodded. "With a certain teacher."

"And a certain jonin," Iruka said, smiling.

"I wouldn't mind having a not-blind date with you again," Kakashi said.

"I'd like that. And it would keep our friends from organizing whatever they were trying to do," Iruka laughed. "This weekend?"

"This weekend," Kakashi said, and they began to talk about what to do, where to go.

Outside, Kurenai, Anko, and Genma passed by, high fiving as they heard the news.

"Well, it worked out, in the end," Genma said.

"Finally!" Kurenai sighed.

"All thanks to me," Anko said, smiling, as the others looked at her. "What? I knew they'd get together," she scoffed.

"Sure, and this was all part of your bigger plan?" Kurenai asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe?" Anko asked.

Kurenai shook her head. "Remind me to never ask you to plan anything for me, ever," she said to Anko.

"But I'm a great planner! And I know people! Right? Kurenai? Genma?" Anko pleaded, as the others laughed at her.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback and suggestions welcomed!
> 
> Let's connect, I'm on [tumblr](https://hkandiu.tumblr.com/)


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